1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to processes of preparing instant wheat cereals. The invention also relates to instant or ready-to-eat wheat cereals.
2. Prior Art
Ready-to-eat cereals are available in a variety of forms and are normally consumed with milk and sometimes sugar. Flaked varieties are very popular. During processing the starch is gelatinized, halting enzymic reactions and thus providing product stability and good shelf life.
Guar gum is a plant seed gum. Guar gum is obtained from the seeds of the leguminous plant Cyamopsis tetragonolobus. The seeds after harvesting, are processed by dehulling and milling. In such process the gum-containing fractions are enriched by differential milling. The final form of the gum is a fine powder which contains about 80 percent guar galactomannan. Guar gum is a straight chain polymer of D-mannopyranose with one unit length D-galactopyranose substituents on every second mannopyranose unit. The molecular weight of guar gum is in the range of 200,000 to 2,000,000. Guar gum hydrates easily in cold water and yields highly viscous colloidal solutions. The heating of an aqueous dispersion of guar increases the rate of hydration, but on prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures the viscosity may decrease. The rate of hydration of guar gum is also dependent on the pH range of the aqueous dispersion. Guar, being nonionic, is little affected by salt additives; however, polyvalent cations can cause precipitation at certain pH levels. Like most hydrocolloid solutions, guar also is sensitive to molecular degradation; consequently, some precautions are indicated in handling such material. Sugar solutions considerably influence the hydration of guar.
Guar gum is used as a food additive for water binding. It is commonly used in ice cream, cakes, pie fillings, cheese spreads, vegetable fat toppings, cottage cheese creaming mixtures, canned goods, baby foods, beverages and icings. Guar is also an effective emulsion stabilizer.
The Food and Drug Administration has classified guar as a generally-recognized-as-safe (GRAS) substance for intentional use as a food additive, in the current estimated daily adult dose of 1.9 gm.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,118 discloses a method of forming a quick-cooking cereal product. At the start of the process, a dry-milled wheat farina, which has a moisture content of below about 14 percent by weight is formed. The process includes adding to such farina with agitation about 1/2 to 21/2 percent by weight of a thickening and suspending agent. The suspending agent can be gum tragacanth, gum karaya, gum arabic, purified gum guar, agar or refined algin. The resultant mixture is heated until it is sterile.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,278,465 discloses a process of preparing an improved high starch food piece. The process includes boiling the high starch food piece in a concentrated sugar solution, removing the excess sugar solution therefrom and then allowing the surface sugar to dry thereon. The high starch food can be farina. A quick-cooking cereal is produced.
Johnson et al., Encyclopedia Of Food Technology, (1974), p. 127, discloses that "quick" oatmeal uses oat groats that are steel-cut into several fragments after dehulling, and then flattened a little thinner than for regular rolled oats, to reduce the time of preparation. Instant or "cook in the bowl" oatmeal is prepared in such a way that the user need only add hot water and stir to make the product ready for consumption. Based on quick oatmeal, it is given some additional treatment--such as the incorporation of 0.1 to 1.0 percent of an edible gum on the surface of the oat particles--to improve its hydration.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,513 discloses producing an instant wheat farina denaturing wheat farina and adding the denatured farina to critical amounts of a thickening agent and water. The mixture is cooked on a drum drier. The cooked, dried product is comminuted. The thickening agent can be guar bean gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,514 discloses producing a flavored, instant grain product by denaturing a grain such as corn, rice, barley or wheat, and adding the denatured grain to critical amounts of a thickening agent, water and critical amounts of either fruit preserves, fruit juice or pulped fruit. The mixture is cooked on a drum drier. The cooked dried product is comminuted. The thickening agent can be guar bean gum.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,163,175 discloses a dried, granulated food product composed of wheat cereal particles with gelatinized agar-agar adhered thereto.
The use of guar gum in the known dry, instant, farina products (cereals) causes a lumping problem in the cereals upon rehydration or reconstitution.